ESAB Introduces Time-Saving Hard-Hat Adaptor

ESAB is now stocking a new type of hat adaptor that will save the wearer the time and bother of changing safety wear for different working situations. The hard-hat adaptor has been developed for sites where welders need to use both a hard hat on health-and-safety grounds and a welding helmet. The equipment is suitable for use in areas such as shipyards and construction sites.

Now, rather than carrying two hats around, the hard-hat adaptor is simply attached to a New-Tech helmet - after the removal of the internal head harness - in a matter of seconds. For extra safety, the user does not even have to remove the hat from his or her head to attach or detach the adaptor and can undertake the operation while wearing heavy work gloves. The hard-hat adaptor can be utilised with any of the New-Tech range of auto-darkening welding helmets, which features the latest technology developed by ESAB.

All four models in the range are lightweight and well balanced to provide maximum comfort. They offer a wide viewing area and provide protection to the ears and neck, as well as just the face. The area in front of the mouth is larger for a good flow of fresh air; this feature also ensures that there is no build-up of carbon monoxide. Hard hats are available in a choice of colours (yellow, white, blue, green and red).

Dubai's Superscraper Makes History In Hard Times

Started at the height of the economic boom and built by some 12 000 laborers, the world's tallest building will open on Monday in Dubai as the glitzy emirate seeks to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis. Burj Dubai, whose opening has been delayed twice since construction began in 2004, will mark another milestone for the deeply indebted emirate with a penchant for seeking new records.

Dubai, one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates, gained a reputation for excess with the creation of man-made islands shaped like palms and an indoor ski slope in the desert. With investor confidence in Dubai badly bruised by the emirate's announcement in November that it would seek a debt standstill for one of its largest conglomerates, the Burj Dubai is seen as a positive start to the year after a bleak 2009.

The project has been scrutinized by human rights groups, who have objected to its treatment of laborers, as well as by environmentalists who said the tower would act as a power vacuum, increasing the city's already massive carbon footprint. But despite the criticism, many say the edifice, believed to have cost $1,5-billion to build, is an architectural marvel. The tower's height has been kept a closely guarded secret until now. Developer Emaar Properties PJSC will reveal the height - known to exceed 800 m - on Tuesday and Dubai's ruler will inaugurate the opening.

Experts believe Dubai's recent financial troubles have not hurt sales of approximately 1 100 residential units in the Burj - meaning tower in Arabic - saying they were nearly all sold. Dubai's real estate sector crashed at the end of 2008 when the global financial crisis hit the emirate after a six-year economic boom. Thousands of jobs were slashed and projects worth billions of dollars were canceled or delayed.

With analysts suggesting tax-free Dubai might sell some of its assets to boost revenues and slash $80-billion in debt, many wondered if the tower was on the list for grabs. Dubai, with few natural resources of its own, expects a budget deficit of 2% of GDP this year. In December, the emirate received a $10- billion lifeline from neighboring Abu Dhabi to repay a $4,1-billion bond for Nakheel, a property arm of indebted Dubai World, and other obligations.

CNC Machine Grinds Super-Hard Materials

The Ewag Compact Line CNC grinding machine is designed for the flexible and precise manufacturing or sharpening of indexable inserts in all materials. Whether the material is carbide, cermet, ceramic or super-hard CBN/PCD, the CNC grinding machine meets all of the requirements for precision and speed - especially with the realisation of complex workpiece geometries.

The machine is fitted with the CBN/PCD module for grinding super-hard materials and now also for machining diamond cutting materials. The Compact Line has a compact construction, features ergonomic operation and an integrated robot system. Inside the machine, everything is positioned close to the working B-axis; the travel ranges for axes and robots are therefore kept to a minimum, cycle and downtimes are shortened, and productivity is increased.

The machine interior and control elements are accessible from one position. A rapid change system allows the operator to exchange the grinding wheels easily at the push of a button. The HSKE 50 clamping system for grinding wheels ensures quick and accurate change-over of grinding-wheel sets. The workpieces are fixed to the clamping device with a tension pin. All clamping systems are mechanically installed on the B-axis and are identified by a 'plug-and-play' system. The result is flexibility and short change-over times.

The 'three-in-one' sharpening unit - dressing, regenerating, and crushing - provides good grinding wheel concentricity and high repeat accuracy of processes. 3D measurement of workpieces in one clamping ensures the required tolerances are met from the start. Loading is carried out with the integrated six-axis Fanuc robot, which increases the level of machine automation and permits autonomous multi-shift operation. The Compact Line incorporates five-axis CNC kinematics, direct drive of the grinding spindle and linear technology.

Korloy CBN Inserts Hard-Turn Without Cutting Fluid

Cutwel has released Korloy CBN inserts, which can be used for hard turning with no cutting fluid. Existing or standard ISO toolholders can be used to hold the inserts. Typical materials that are hard-turned are grey cast iron (180-230HB), high-temperature alloys (over 45HRC), sintered alloy, carbide roll and high-speed steel roll.

Grade KB320 is suitable for intermittent and continuous cutting on hardened steel, and Grade KB330 for heavy intermittent cutting on hardened steel. Other grades include Grade KB360 for continuous cutting on cast iron, sintered alloy, heat-resistant alloy and carbide roll, and KB420, for continuous cutting on hardened steel.

Advantages include the following: cycle times and set-ups are generally much shorter on lathes than on grinding machines; CNC lathes are generally recommended for hard turning, but manual lathes can be effective as well; hard turning requires a rigid machine with a rigid toolholder system.

CBN inserts promote faster cycle times, cut cost of machine tool investment, improve accuracy, give high-quality surface finishes, permit higher metal removal rates (two to four times faster than grinding), allow multiple operations in a single chucking, and make wet or dry cutting an option (dry cutting avoids coolant expense and disposal issues). Full technical back-up is offered on insert selection, speeds feeds and recommended depths of cut.